Labour regimes and the labour problem in Asia

Our presentation is about work, employment and labour relations in the seven East/South-East Asian countries of Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, and in China. Following an account of the key features of the labour problem in each country, including the converging industrial relations of China and Vietnam, we conclude that the interface between industrial democracy and economic development remains a useful heuristic for understanding labour in the region

Industrial relations in South-East Asia: a cross-examination

Our presentation is based upon the Editorial exposé of a special issue on industrial relations in Asia recently published by the Chronique Internationale de l’IRES (Delahaie and Le Queux 2016). Contributions were drawing on original research work and covered up to seven countries from the South-East Asian region (Taiwan, The Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore) plus China. Three streams were under scrutiny: 1) Low wages and decent work; 2) Migrant workers and informal labour; 3) Industrial conflict, and the way labour organisations (or the State) dealt with it. Contributions on Indonesia and Thailand touched upon decent work in low-wage economies, and the one on The Philippines on precarious employment more particularly; those on Singapore and Taiwan addressed the challenges and contradictions of maintaining a productivist agenda under tight corporatist regimes. The one on Malaysia focused on migrant labour and informal work. Contributions on China and Vietnam reflected on the nature and modality of industrial disputes and how these came to challenge established Communist labour institutions. China and Vietnam were given additional attention as they provided ground for a comparative analysis. Observations are congruent with the literature: States still play a dominant role of 'pacification' of industrial relations, with capitalist accumulation’ being the primary motive (Ford and Gillan 2016); international pressures are indispensable yet commitment to the enforcement of workers' rights remains problematic; echoing a long-lasting assessment (Deyo 1981; Leggett 1999), the overarching conclusion is that the interface between development and industrial democracy is a key determinant in the region

How far has international HRM travelled? A systematic review of literature on multinational corporations (2000-2014)

This article reviews the present state of research on multinational corporations (MNCs) in the international human resource management (IHRM) literature. Drawing on 342 articles from 39 English journals in the business and management field published over the period of 2000-2014, we identify three key strands within this section of the IHRM scholarly field (MNC country of origin/domicile effects; expatriates management; and, intra-organizational knowledge and strategy flows). Building up on our detailed assessment of trends in the literature based on a systematic review, we propose areas where the field could be developed and extended through drawing on insights from, and building synthesis with, cognate fields. We conclude that major developments on the ground – the increasing numbers of unskilled expatriate workers, the rise of MNCs from emerging markets, and the growth of transnational alternative investors – have the potential to transform the field of enquiry, yet are only starting to appear in the IHRM literature. In developing new major areas of enquiry – and in extending existing ones – insights may be drawn from the literature on comparative institutional analysis to take fuller account of trans-national actors

Closer, stronger, and brighter: bringing IB and IHRM together through the lens of Sustainable Development Goals

Despite the shared research interest in multinational enterprises (MNEs) in international business (IB) and international human resource management (IHRM), the two fields of studies have been criticized for the lack of dialogues and collaborations that might be beneficial to extending the scope of knowledge in each. At the same time, both IB and IHRM have expanded into the international development area, evidenced by the growing interest in the role of MNEs in promoting or hampering the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This perspective paper aims to address some of the critiques, challenge existing assumptions, and provide examples of research that critically examines the role of MNEs in promoting or hampering the realization of the SDGs. This paper highlights the emerging common ground between IB and IHRM, and identifies agendas for future theoretical and applied enquiries.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, grant number: 71832012

Developing organizations’ dynamic capabilities and employee mental health in the face of heightened geopolitical tensions, polarized societies and grand societal challenges

The year 2023 witnessed intensified geopolitical tensions, military conflicts, and international economic sanctions, with heightened risks and uncertainties for businesses, especially multinational enterprises. In this editorial for 2024, we focus on two phenomena—international sanction and mental health—as critical issues for human resource management research and practice. These two issues are closely related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 3: Good health and wellbeing and Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions). We draw on dynamic capability theory to illustrate how organizations can develop corporate capabilities to survive and thrive in a volatile global business environment. We suggest sets of research questions to inform policy decisions and practice. We also outline practical implications for human resource professionals

IJHRM after 30 years: taking stock in times of COVID-19 and looking towards the future of HR research

In this paper, we take stock of what The International Journal of Human Resource Management (IJHRM) has achieved in the past 30 years since its inception in 1990. By analyzing the publication trends indicated by keywords, we find that research published in IJHRM has shifted from a collective focus with institutional implications towards more individual concerns with organizational implications with relevance to HRM practices. We present research theme and approaches that distinguish IJHRM from other HRM journals, and offer suggestions of what we see as some of the important issues for future research that will take us beyond the current trajectory of HRM studies

Mad2 inhibits the mitotic kinesin MKlp2

The mitotic checkpoint protein Mad2 halts cell division by interfering with MKlp2-mediated relocation of the chromosome passenger complex from centromeres to the mitotic spindle

International Journal of Human Resource Management (IJHRM) Special Issue on:International human resource management in contexts of high uncertainties

The aim of this special issue is to examine more closely of the implementations of international human resource management (IHRM) practices in the contexts of high uncertainties. It seeks contexts of relevance, encompassing those experiencing financial crisis, economic sanctions, political and civil uncertainty, environmental collapse and/or deep recession. It aims to supplement the Danger and Risk as Challenges for HRM in the IJHRM special issue which encompasses terrorism, violent disorder, crime and other physical risks, by focusing on initially seemingly peaceful forms of uncertainty, even if their consequences might lead to societal collapse. While appreciating that these contexts are very different, the key theme that cuts across all of these contexts are the unexpected changes that they brought, creating considerable ambiguity for businesses, and how they manage their people. Businesses will face the challenges of coping in such contexts, with unpredictability in demand, and in supplier relations, in adding greater time pressure to the decision-making process, and in terms of work and employment relations (Pearson & Clair, 1998). Through operating in different settings, multinational enterprises (MNEs) may be able to hedge risk, but at the same time protecting their own interest from a distance can be extremely difficult (Cantwell, Dunning, & Lundan, 2010). They will also impact on MNE decisions to invest and reinvest in particular settings (Oh & Oetzel, 2011). However, reducing or eliminating their presence in the host location is not always possible. MNEs may have substantial resources and infrastructural interests in the host location that need to be protected. Again, there is often a pressing need of MNEs to use expatriates on international assignments to complete strategically critical tasks, but the same time managing expatriate staff becomes much more difficult when countries of domicile become less certain. However, these situations often present golden opportunity for businesses. Studies have found that the option value of MNEs in entering a country under the uncertain conditions can be high (Miller, 1998). This is because government and international bodies often inject considerable amount of investments into the affected countries in aiding the recovery and rebuilding process and, in turn, pumped up the local aggregate demands, opening new opportunities for MNEs in relevant industries (Vigdor, 2008). At the same time, consumers’ demand for products and services may change; demand may not necessarily decline, but what consumers may want may be different, and this will impact on the demands placed on a firm’s human resources. These MNEs may therefore experience expansion of workforce under these situations.Full Tex

What do we know about cross-country comparative studies in HRM? A critical review of literature in the period of 2000-2014

Significant progress has been made in the research on variations in HRM across national boundaries, in both the quantity of studies and theoretical advancements since the mid-1980s. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic review of existing literature on cross-country comparative studies of HRM as an important strand of the international HRM field in order to shed new light on dominant key concerns and themes, and emerging syntheses. More specifically, we conducted a systematic review of cross-country comparative HRM studies published in academic journals in the English language in the 15-year period of 2000–2014. Our paper charted the development of cross-country comparative studies of HRM as a sub-field of HRM research. Our analysis of 125 articles from 30 business and management journals shows the countries/regions that have been studied, topics, and research methods used. We also highlight a number of research avenues for further study in this field. Although there are a number of distinct strands to the literature, our study concludes that there is an emerging common ground in underlying concerns and theoretical assumptions both within the field, and with other areas of management inquiry